One Florida gaming proposal would allow greyhound tracks to offer slots or poker, even in the event they stop operating dog events.
A lot of things stay the same in Florida: moisture, an endless influx of seniors, and costly Palm Beach real estate.
Gaming laws in the Sunshine State, however, usually do not fall into that category, and have become a never-ending invasion of brand new amendments and challenges to existing legislation.
Florida gambling laws are likely to change, sooner or later.
There is just too much on the table for the status quo to be maintained: the Seminole Tribe’s compact is up for renewal, there’s the ongoing concern over whether resort-style casinos is permitted in their state, and the risk of giving more gambling legal rights to horse and dog racing tracks.
A proposal that could have originally served to extend components of the compact that is current the Seminoles for another year transformed as a larger, more complex piece of legislation on Wednesday, as amendments switched it into an easy gaming bill that could change many aspects of Florida’s gaming policy.
The bill was originally proposed by Senate Regulated Industries Chairman Rob Bradley (R-Fleming Island), but by the right time it had been amended and brought to a vote, Bradley himself voted against it.
Bill Would Extend Seminole Compact
Originally, Bradley’s bill (SB 7088) would just have extended the agreement that is five-year the Seminole Tribe and the state of Florida for another 12 months.
That agreement is placed to operate out on 1, and Bradley had hoped that such a measure could give the state more time to negotiate with the tribe july. The move would have fully guaranteed that the Seminoles would nevertheless have exclusive rights to operate blackjack along with other card that is banked in the state for another year.
But within the span of a two-hour meeting, Bradley’s committee took that facile bill and loaded it along with other measures related to Florida’s gambling landscape. Other state senators added amendments towards the bill that will allow greyhound tracks to offer other gambling options, like poker and slot machines, even when they stopped holding races, for instance.
After that was proposed, another Senator suggested letting jai-alai frontons and horse racing tracks doing exactly the same.
‘This is what’s advantageous to the goose is great for the gander,’ said Senator Oscar Braynon (D-Miami Gardens). ‘ If we’re doing it for just one, we have to do it for all.’
That amendment passed the committee by a 7-5 vote. Another approved amendment would require that 10 percent of slot revenues at new racetrack casinos, known as ‘racinos,’ is used to subsidize horse rushing purses at Tampa Bay Downs.
Final Bill Could Look Very Different from Committee Proposal
In the end, the overall bill (amendments included) passed through the committee by a 7-5 vote.
But Bradley himself ended up being among the five Senators who voted against the measure, which he intended to be a very piece that is limited of. Still, he noted that even the variation of the bill that did pass through his committee wouldn’t normally necessarily be something the full Senate might eventually approve this session.
‘we would suspect that if we have a gaming bill come out of the Senate so it will look probably a little different than what you saw leave this committee today,’ Bradley said. ‘What you see is a few elements that continue become in play.’
On top of that, a proposal by State House Majority Leader Dana younger (R-Hillsborough County) to allow two resort casinos in Broward and Miami-Dade counties was scaled back once again, though the resorts are required to be added back in via an amendment that will require voters or county commissions in those counties to approve adding those resorts.
Netherlands Looking to Modernize On The Web Gambling Regulations
Klaas Dijkhoff is trying to see online gambling regulation become truth into the Netherlands. (Image: ANP)
Online gambling is fairly popular in the Netherlands, but unlike in numerous countries in Europe, there is not any real regulation regarding the market that is iGaming.
That is likely to change soon, however, as federal government officials say that they plan to push forward with reforms that would regulate the industry and help protect players that are dutch unscrupulous operators.
In accordance with State that is new Secretary Security and Justice Klaas Dijkhoff, he intends to carry on working towards modernizing gambling legislation in the united kingdom, carrying on the effort that began under his predecessor, Fred Teeven.
Based on Dijkhoff, it is important for the Netherlands to manage online gambling to stop unlawful operators from targeting Dutch consumers which help minimize the harm that can result from problem gambling. That, he claims, is impossible under the current system.
‘Maintenance and enforcement of the current ban is in truth not feasible because of the large online providing plus the cross-border nature,’ Dijkhoff stated.
Most Licenses Would Go to European Businesses
Under Dijkhoff’s plan, online gambling sites will be able to obtain five-year licenses. In most instances, licensees would need to be based within the European Union or the European Economic region, though exceptions would be considered for a case-by-case basis.
There is no limit that is hard the number of licenses available; according to the national gambling regulator, the Kansspelautoriteit, more than 200 online gambling businesses have inquired in regards to the possibility to getting licensed.
However, maybe not every person will necessarily be eligible to get this kind of permit. Dijkhoff talked about that you can find many ‘reliable operators’ that the Netherlands would be pleased to work with, but additionally said that if a company have been fined by the Kansspelautoriteit for marketing or services that are providing customers in holland without a license, they would not qualify.
In addition, the new plan would feature a quantity of controls created to greatly help limit problem gambling in the nation. Each day for instance, gambling games wouldn’t be allowed to be advertised in media between 6 am and 10 pm.
There would also be care requirements analysis that is including of habits that would allow operators to step in to aid suspected issue gamblers or give players insights into their degrees of play.
Online Operators to Receive Lowered Tax Rate
The new legislation would additionally set tax prices for both on the web and land-based gambling throughout holland. While land-based venues would be taxed at 30 percent, online operators would pay just 20 percent.
The concept listed here is to give licensed (and therefore taxed) sites a better chance to compete with unregulated sites that are likely to continue attempting to operate into the Netherlands even with the new regulations come into effect.
Dijkhoff came into his position after Teeven, who helped create the gambling that is online, was forced to retire. Teeven was accused of misleading government officials about their part in a compensation payment that went along to a convicted drug trafficker in 2001.
At the moment, many operators treat the Netherlands as a grey market: one in which they feel as though they can operate, but also for which there was no specific framework that is regulatory.
Louisiana Bill Would Legalize Daily Fantasy Sports Games
Day-to-day fantasy sports sites like DraftKings might be legalized in Louisiana under a proposed bill. (Image: DraftKings)
Day-to-day fantasy sports games are unambiguously legal generally in most states, thanks in large part to fantasy sports exceptions in bills just like the Internet Gambling Enforcement that is unlawful Act.
However, there are exceptions, as some states have legislation that make the legality of such games questionable at most readily useful.
Throughout the last year, the day-to-day fantasy industry has been making efforts to change the laws in these states to get involved with the few American markets that have so far eluded them.
The latest example of this will come in Louisiana, one of five states that are routinely denied use of real money games on day-to-day fantasy activities web sites.
A new bill introduced by Representative Joe Lopinto (R-Metairie) would make changes to convey law to be able to ensure that fantasy sports games had been treated differently than gambling.
‘We’re just making clear that this isn’t gambling,’ Lopinto stated. ‘ We’re maybe not betting on the outcome of a casino game or a point spread. Fantasy soccer is really a game of ability.’
Most Daily Fantasy Sites Avoid Five States
You can find generally five states that have restricted use of fantasy sports sites; in many cases, players can participate in games but cannot play for real cash or collect prizes in both daily fantasy games and more traditional fantasy activities contests.
Arizona considered (but did not pass) legislation freeslotsnodownload-ca.com to legalize daily fantasy sports games last 12 months; this year, Iowa, Montana, Washington and now Louisiana have actually all seen bills discussed that would allow players in these states to try out day-to-day fantasy games.
Therefore far, none of these bills have passed into law; of the, Iowa’s has seen the most action, moving a floor vote within the state Senate.
But even if legislators aren’t racing to put these legislation into impact, the actual fact that many have actually sprung up may show energy and only the fantasy industry that is daily. And Lopinto says that there is certainly definitely interest in seeing these web sites come to Louisiana.
‘There is an outcry for it [from] many people who participate,’ Lopinto said.
According to Lopinto and lots of other advocates for fantasy sports games, the contests should be treated differently than other forms of online gambling simply because they need skill and knowledge of sports to play. That, Lopinto states, makes skill the factor that is dominant than luck.
DraftKings, Amaya Making Plays for Daily Fantasy Market Share
The daily fantasy recreations industry has grown by leaps and bounds in the final two years, a process which has seen major web sites gain powerful partnerships with recreations leagues and media companies.
In simply the previous two weeks, DraftKings has announced an expanded partnership with Major League Baseball that will see their brand advertised heavily over the league, and reports say that Disney is placed to help make a $250 million investment into DraftKings that will see it greatly advertised on their systems, including ESPN.
That could help DraftKings better compete against FanDuel for the top spot in the daily fantasy industry, but other major players might still enter the market and shake the status quo up.
In a recently available earnings call, Amaya CEO David Baazov stated that the company would additionally be going into the fantasy that is daily market, and could have product ready to go in time for the 2015 NFL season.